


In the Cards

by Kita_the_Spaz



Category: Welcome to Hell - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Jonathan's mom mentioned, M/M, Pokemon-which I know NOTHING about, Socks dad in a flashback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 12:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4436147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kita_the_Spaz/pseuds/Kita_the_Spaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While searching for a photo album, Jonathan runs across something showing a previously unknown connection to his own personal demon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Cards

Sock groaned long and loud, next to Jonathan’s ear. “This is boooooooooring, Jonathan. C’mon, there’s got to be a million things you could be doing. Why does moving stuff around in a dusty attic have to be one of them?”

Jonathan looked up from where he was shuffling through old boxes, a smudge of dust across one cheek. He blew his blond bangs out of his face and sighed. “Because, doofus, my mom asked me to find something up here before Gran comes up for Christmas. I’m not going to disappoint her just because you’re bored. Anyway, you said you get off at five; it’s like almost six. So why are you still here?”

Sock huffed and tugged his colorful hat down until it almost covered his eyes. One green eye peeped at Jonathan almost shyly through reddish-brown bangs. “I don’t really have anyplace else to go,” he admitted sheepishly. “I mean, hell’s still under construction so there are places where there’s literally nothing. Really creepy because if you wander into one you like… just stop. One of the other demons told me that because of the renovations, there’s places— I think he called them rifts— where the planar dimensions have been warped and when you step into one, you cease to be in reality, your essence gets spread out along all these other dimensions until someone gets you out or the rift shifts. I did it once and I saw all sorts of weird things. It was almost like dreaming except there’s really no way to wake yourself up.” He chewed his bottom lip. “Besides I like hanging out with you, even when I’m not on the clock.”

Jonathan sighed and looked back down into the box he was sorting through. “Whatever. Just let me find what I’m looking for. Then, I dunno, I can put a movie on for you or something.”

“Ooh, do you have the new  _Jurassic Park_  one? I really want to see that one!” Sock tucked his arms up to his chest, fingers hooked into claws, and made what Jonathan had to admit to himself were adorably ridiculous growling and roaring sounds, pretending to stomp on the dusty boxes surrounding them. Of course, his booted feet passed right through them without damage, but it was still hilarious to see.

Jonathan snerked, covering his mouth with a hand. “Fine,  _tinysaurus hex_ , we can watch that one. Just let me find this for mom, kay?”

Sock hovered up to the slanted roof, flipping upside down in his excitement. “Yeah!”

Assured that Sock would stay out of trouble for a few moments, Jonathan returned to rummaging through the box in from of him, looking for the old photo albums his mother had insisted he unearth. _There._  Catching sight of a binder, Jonathan tugged it out of the jumbled contents of the box.

Aggravated when it turned out to not be what he was looking for, Jonathan tossed it to the side to continue the search. It fell off the box he’d tossed it onto with a muffled thump, falling open.

The noise caught Sock’s attention and he stopped pretending to chomp on various things and drifted over, turning to peer at the binder.

“Pokemon cards!” he exclaimed in delight, catching sight of the distinctive red and white ball on the back of the cards. He tried to pick up the binder, but his fingers passed through it ineffectually.

Jonathan glanced up again. “Oh, yeah, I was really into the Pokemon games as a kid. Used to play in tournaments sometimes.”

Sock brightened. “Really? Me too! My dad took me to a couple of them when I was little. I loved collecting the cards even more than I liked playing. Not for, y’know, collecting them— just because I liked them. I even wrote my name on some of my favorites.” He explained excitedly, waving his hands around. “Can I see your cards?”

Jonathan grimaced. “Sock, you can’t touch them, remember? I’d have to turn the pages for you and I really want to find this stupid photo album for mom before dinner.”

He regretted the words almost as soon as he said them, because Sock immediately fixed him with that emerald green kicked-puppy look he was so damned good at.

Huffing in irritation. Jonathan stood and retrieved the binder. Seating himself on an old chest under the bare light bulb, he flipped the binder open to the first page.

Sock hovered close to his shoulder, grinning widely. “Ooh, You had all the evolutions of Eevee in holographic! Eevee was always one of my favorites!”

 _Figured Sock would like the fluffy ones._  Jonathan chuckled, flipping the next page. “So which one was your all-time favorite?”   _Probably something adorable and fluffy like Vulpix or something._

Sock tugged on the flaps of his hat again. “Um… Charizard. I had a holographic one, a long time ago, but I don’t have the card anymore. I um… lost it when I was a kid.”

Jonathan hummed under his breath and flipped a few pages. “Like this one?” he asked, pointing.

Sock made a soft sound and trailed his incorporeal fingers over the card. “Just like! Oh, I wish i could hold it.”

Jonathan pulled it out of the protective plastic page and held it up for Sock to take a closer look at. Turning it so his own personal demon could see it better, Jonathan stopped and pulled it closer to his face for a better look at a black scrawl on the back of the card.

Written in a childish hand with what looked like a black sharpie was the name **_N. Sowachowski_**.

Jonathan felt his heart skip a beat. “Wha—?”

Just like that, the memories crashed down on him. The second time he’d gone to an actual tournament, he’d lost a game and retreated to the sidelines to watch other players and chat with others who’d been knocked out this round.

There was one kid, wearing a Charmeleon stocking cap, sitting all by himself, knees tucked up against his chest, and curious, Jonathan had wandered over. The kid had a whole bunch of tiny pokemon figures lined up before him and was tipping them over one at a time, looking sad.

Never one to bother with things like introducing himself, Jonathan flopped down on the bench. “Whatcha doin’?”

The kid had looked up with a frightened sniffle. “Nothing. I just wanna go home.”

Perhaps something in the scared flinch, or the defensive ‘nothing’ had gotten to Jonathan, and he’d softened his gaze and offered a smile. “Why? Aintcha playing?”

The kid shook his head. “I don’t wanna play, they were mean to me. Called me names.” He scrubbed a sleeve across watering eyes. “I’m waiting for Dad to come an’ get me, but he’s still at work.” The kid’s stomach growled loudly and he hunched over even more with a wince, knocking some of his figures to the floor accidently.

Jonathan frowned and started setting the little figures back up. “Why doncha you get something to eat while you wait?”

Shaking his head, the kid pulled his hat further down around his ears. “Dad forget to give me any money for food. He was gonna take me out for dinner after work but that’s…” he looked down at his Pikachu watch and counted silently on his fingers. “—three an’a half hours away.”

Jonathan heard the kid’s stomach grumble again. Sighing, he got up and offered his hand. “C’mon, I’ll getcha something to eat. If you wanna play a game with me for fun, I don’t mind.”

The other kid’s whole face brightened. “Really? Sure!”

They’d sat at the food pavilion for hours, eating and playing. Arguing over which cards were the best and which pokemon was the best against which, they’d both lost track of time until a tall, skinny man with brown hair pulled into a ponytail had hurried over. “There you are! Did you have fun, kiddo?”

“Dad!” Grinning brightly, Jonathan’s new friend had allowed himself to be swept up into a bearhug. “Yeah! This is Jonathan, he’s my friend!”

The man had grinned down at Jonathan. “Nice to meet you. C’mon son, we need to get going so we can get dinner and bring something home for your mom.”

Squirming out of his father’s grasp, the kid ran back over to Jonathan, holding out a card. “Here, so you have an awesome card for next time. He’s my best card and… I want you to have him, kay?”  Blushing brightly, he’d shoved the Charizard card into Jonathan’s hand and run back to his dad, hiding his face in the man’s side.

Blinking out of the memory, Jonathan slowly turned the card so Sock could see the writing on the back.

Sock’s green eyes widened and he hesitantly reached out, brushing intangible fingers over the card.  “It was you…” Red crept over his cheeks. “I remember. You were nice to me and I-I…” He trailed off, the blush intensifying. Grabbing the flaps of his hat again, Sock tried to disappear into it.

“You gave me your favorite card.”

Whirling, Sock fled, making a mortified squeaking sound.

Instinctively, Jonathan reached out and grabbed for him. Surprisingly, his hand made contact and he hauled Sock back by his ankle. “Sock?”

Sock turned completely crimson.

Moving slowly and deliberately, Jonathan reached out and pried one of Sock’s hands away from his hat. He wasn’t sure how he was suddenly able to touch Sock, but at the moment it didn’t matter. He gently put the card in Sock’s hand and folded his fingers around it. When he pulled his hand away, the card remained in Sock’s shaking grasp.

Sock blinked down at it, his eyes damp. “Jonathan…”

Jonathan smiled at him, a genuinely happy smile. “I wasn’t sure what to give you for Christmas, you being a demon and all, but I think giving your favorite card back to you is a start.”

Sock glanced down. His lips trembled. “U-uhm, Jonathan? If I could have a hu-” he swallowed and started over. “A  _hug_ , I’d consider that one of the best Christmas presents ever.”

Jonathan nodded and pulled Sock towards him, wrapping his arms around Sock’s shoulders and tugging him lightly against his chest.

Sock sighed and his shoulders relaxed. His arms crept up to wrap around Jonathan’s waist and he held on tightly.

Jonathan never did find the photo album before his mom called him down for dinner, but that was okay. He’d found something better. A connection… or was it a reconnection?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for millkywell's headcanon on Tumblr: •They /knew/ each other when they were in their pokémon phases at like 9 or 10 and like went to the same school for a year but didn’t really remember each other until sock found the charizard card with his name on the back in sharpie in Jon’s stuff that he had traded him because he had a huge crush on him
> 
> I wasn’t actually able to work in them going to school together, so I went a slightly different route; but I really hope you like. It’s very… fluffy.
> 
> Note: What I know about Pokemon the TCG and tournaments can be counted on the fingers of one hand with five left over. I remember seeing the cartoon a few times while I was babysitting but not much more than that. Any errors are mine and freely owned up to.


End file.
